Wisdom Teeth Extraction/Hello Dentists?

[oandapartycock]

I took my 17 yr old daughter to the dentist a month ago for a routine checkup (she had no cavities and has good hyjeeen). My wife and I were told that she needs braces and all four wisdom teeth removed. We got the first half of the braces installed two weeks ago. Before going to the oral surgeon I looked inside her mouth with a flash light and a dental mirror because we can't figure out why all four need to be taken out.

When I was a kid, they told my parents the same thing, but we didn't have the money so I never did it. I'm over 40 and have never had any problems back there and still have all my original teeth with about 6-8 cavities my whole life.

My point is this. Could this be some procedure they're saying needs done because we have the insurance? Even with the insurance, it's costing over $400 each.

We were supposed to have it done today, but my daughter's teeth still hurt from the braces and hasn't been eating and had heard horror stories from her friends and was worried, so I postponed the appointment.

Like I said, I looked in there, saw nothing funny, she had no pain, and it doesn't run in my family. My two brothers never had theirs out nor my wife and her siblings.

When my wife went into labor with her 17 years ago, they immediately said she needed a C-Section, which my wife was strongly against. After a few hours of labor she had our daughter naturally just fine (easy for me to say).

I know I'm not a qualified dentist, and didn't see the xrays, but is there any chance this is really not necessary?

[CrazyMrPoopSex]

and your looking for dental advice on Wackbag? most of us don't have teeth

[blazin]

Are the wisdom teeth grown in or still under the gums? Are they impacted?

I had my 4 pulled because they would have grown in and pushed my teeth forward and made them crooked.

[oandapartycock]

Are the wisdom teeth grown in or still under the gums? Are they impacted?

I had my 4 pulled because they would have grown in and pushed my teeth forward and made them crooked.

They're pretty visible. The crowns are definitely through the gums. And they "seem" perpendicular to the jawbone. I know I can request the Xrays, but won't know what we're looking for. We're going to try contacting the insurance company tomorrow to see if:

1. They notice excessive billing by this dentist group.
2. If they'll authorize a second opinion. I would think they would because it would save them $8,000+

Mind you, I'm not trying to be cheap here, we can semi-afford it, but I don't like being ripped off by "professionals." Obviously we want what's best for our daughter, especially now while she has the insurance.

[Hudson]

Are the wisdom teeth grown in or still under the gums? Are they impacted?

I had my 4 pulled because they would have grown in and pushed my teeth forward and made them crooked.
What he said..plus, they can cause problems with her braces if they come in..
I am the only one in my family who still has his because they came in like normal teeth..but I had four front molars removed to make room for them..many people who have theirs come in cannot brush them properly because they are so far back in the jaw and they decay.
They say getting them out when you are young is better. Sis had hers out at 19..she had some swelling and did not eat anything but soup and liquids for a few days..but was really entertaing while on the pain killers.
Dad had his out in his 50's because they became impacted...he looked like a midlife Cabbage Patch Kid..and when the swelling went down..looked like he was on the losing end of a good beating..
I'd say get it done..if she is so worried about her appearance and what her friends might say..I'd advise her to get a better caliber of friends. That or do it over the summer when she can hide for a few days.
(wow, how did I channel Dear Abby??)

[EDIT] Just remembered Why it is better to get em yanked while young!..THE ROOTS OF THE TEETH CONTINUE TO GROW DEEPER INTO THE JAW AND SKULL!!!
Dad had to also get his pulled because the roots of the bottom teeth had grown out of the bottom of his lower jaw, and the upper teeth into his sinuses..causing infections like crazy!

[NoSurviivors]

get a look at x-rays. I have no idea if you'll have a clue of what you're looking at; but common sense (with an explanation from the dentist) should straighten things out.

I had all four pulled years ago (i'm 31!) They crowned & crammed.. etc. That was after I had braces & retainers & shit growing up.

[BCH]

I suspect they wish to remove them to make room to push her bucky beavers back into her head where they belong. You could however get second opinion from another dentist.

[Sinn Fein]

Am I the only one who thinks it's creepy to be checking out your teen daughter's mouth?

Just make sure you get it taken care of before the Purity Ball.



Linger longsfzxq!!!!

[d0uche_n0zzle]

Get them taken out, less teeths equals better head. :action-sm

[Ego]

My bottom wisdom teeth never developed, so I only had to get the top ones out. It was really quick. Took less than a half hour, and most of that time was just for the novacaine to start working. It didn't stop bleeding for a whole day though. The Percocet they prescribed......wonderful. I had the most vivid dream of my entire life that first day, and it ended with one hell of an emission. I've never been so pleased with myself.

[WonkaVision]

Just take your daughter in and get her teeth pulled. Then you can steal her vicodin.

[poppAwoody]

I was told I needed mine pulled when I was 17, never did it, as a matter of fact they said it the whole way growing up on every damn visit, but I didn't want to do it and had braces and straight teeth. I believe they just rather have them out to make their lives easy. Ask them if they ever had theirs pulled. Get a second opinion definitely. Not all doctors are correct they all have their opinions. I eventually got 2 of my wisdom teeth pulled some 15 years later and only because 1 was crooked and had a cavity and the other was an opposing tooth. It was by far the most brutal procedure I have ever been a participant to. lol. If they aren't impacted and aren't crooked, leave them. Fuck those damn oral surgeons, they just want to justify their useless existence.

[Dicktator]

$8,000 for pulling wisdom teeth is your problem. Change dentists now. I had all 4 of my wisdom surgically cut out and the total was just under 2,000. But as far as needing to be done, when dealing with braces, probably so. Teeth just need room to adjust to the braces.

[sbrainb]

My wisdom teeth are still coming in and I'm almost 28 years old, so they're really late. The first three came in last year and the last one is just now coming in and it hurts like a bitch if I chew so I have to use only one side of my mouth for now.

[gleet]

I think everyone is missing the big picture here concerning wisdom tooth extraction.

17, huh?

Pictures?

[agentjmw]

Im not a Dentist. But I would think the wisdom teeth coming in would make it tough for the braces to do what they are supposed to.

[bill333]

I was in my late 30's when I had mine finally pulled. I had two pulled the same day. They just popped out easily but after having the third one out, he couldn't get to the fourth because of the angle. I need to see a specialist because it's leaning on the next tooth and could cause it to rot.

Ask if you can see the x-ray. You should be able to see the direction they are coming in. If you think he's trying to get more money from you, get a second opinion.

[d0uche_n0zzle]

We're also going to need a topless shot of said hot teen daughter, it's strictly for professional use. :action-sm

[oandapartycock]

I was told I needed mine pulled when I was 17, never did it, as a matter of fact they said it the whole way growing up on every damn visit, but I didn't want to do it and had braces and straight teeth. I believe they just rather have them out to make their lives easy. Ask them if they ever had theirs pulled. Get a second opinion definitely. Not all doctors are correct they all have their opinions. I eventually got 2 of my wisdom teeth pulled some 15 years later and only because 1 was crooked and had a cavity and the other was an opposing tooth. It was by far the most brutal procedure I have ever been a participant to. lol. If they aren't impacted and aren't crooked, leave them. Fuck those damn oral surgeons, they just want to justify their useless existence.

I've been kind of hearing they do get cavities being they're so far back there to brush.

$8,000 for pulling wisdom teeth is your problem. Change dentists now. I had all 4 of my wisdom surgically cut out and the total was just under 2,000. But as far as needing to be done, when dealing with braces, probably so. Teeth just need room to adjust to the braces.

The $8000 is what the insurance is covering. Total is just under $10,000 and my copay is about $1800. Was that $2000 you paid for it the total cost and if so, when did you have it done? Never mind. See below

I think everyone is missing the big picture here concerning wisdom tooth extraction.

17, huh?

Pictures?

LOL. I actually went through some pics on the computer and was going to post a cropped pic of her teefers, but on further review, I guess her teeth definitely needed the braces.

I guess you kind of overlook the slight imperfections of your kids. I didn't look in the back for the wisdom teeth until after the braces were covering up the other ones.

Im not a Dentist. But I would think the wisdom teeth coming in would make it tough for the braces to do what they are supposed to.

I've heard this too.

Edit: I went to the dentist. The dentist office explained why the bill was so high. It's only about $450 for the extractions (my cost) the other $1380 was for 3 porcelain veneers which are: Porcelain veneers, alternatively termed dental veneers or dental porcelain laminates, are wafer-thin shells of porcelain that are bonded onto the front side of teeth so to create a cosmetic improvement for a tooth. Porcelain veneers are routinely used by dentists as a way to make cosmetic changes for teeth that are discolored, worn, chipped, or misaligned.

They basically said that was just what the doctor found and it's on the list of procedures that needed done. I guess it's like when you take your car in for an oil change and they give you an estimate for $500 for all the other stuff they find that "needs" fixing. I kind of feel like a dope for not figuring that out.

:clap:The insurance company approved a second opinion providing I go get the Xrays from the original dentist, so I guess that's good news. I feel like I at least owe it to my daughter to have that done.

Another thing that concerns me is if she gets this done, she'll have to be on Vicodin for a few days. I've had that before and liked it way too much.

Alcoholism runs pretty strong in my family and she's never been "high" on anything. And I'm not being naive, we have always had very good communication and I would know. I was the opposite at her age so believe me I would know. I would hate that to be her "gateway" drug into experimenting with other stuff. She hangs around with a pretty good crowd, but she knows plenty of kids who have done their share of experimenting.

She's also a straight A student and she's under a pretty heavy load right now, so if she does need this done we'll definitely put it off until summer because she'll probably be out of it for a few days.

Thanks for all the input, even you bastards with the sarcastic posts. They made me LOL and God knows I've posted plenty of sarcastic stuff around here. :icon_mrgr

[Sam_Adams]

My wisdom teeth are still coming in and I'm almost 28 years old, so they're really late. The first three came in last year and the last one is just now coming in and it hurts like a bitch if I chew so I have to use only one side of my mouth for now.

x2 and im 25

[dodisman]

eventually if exposed they will rot...and then she'd be fucked...just suck it up and have them pulled.

god her breath is probably awful from all the food stuck back there...who's gonna bang your daughter when she has Big A breath?

[DonTheTrucker]

I had mine out when I was 22 or 23. I didn't want to have it done but they were actually on their sides pushing into the teeth beside them. I was having horrible headaches due to it and once they were pulled it was never a problem again.

So.....


when does that daughter turn 18?

[DoucheMeister]

Get the x-rays and bring them to the ortho to get his opinion. He has no vested in it, and will tell you if hey will fuck up the braces.

[oandapartycock]

We're also going to need a topless shot of said hot teen daughter, it's strictly for professional use. :action-sm


http://omeuquarto.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/ar_fig07.jpg
That would be "Ill Eagle." Meh, hrmph :action-sm

eventually if exposed they will rot...and then she'd be fucked...just suck it up and have them pulled.

god her breath is probably awful from all the food stuck back there...who's gonna bang your daughter when she has Big A breath?

Good point. She's DEFINITELY not getting them done til after college now.


So.....

when does that daughter turn 18?

So Hermione finally turned 18 yesterday and you guys need a new countdown clock? Not a chance. But she's a Capricorn, I'll give you that much Don.

[DonTheTrucker]

So Hermione finally turned 18 yesterday and you guys need a new countdown clock? Not a chance. But she's a Capricorn, I'll give you that much Don.

Hey I was just beating a real creep to the bit. You have nothing to worry about with me, I prefer them at least drinking age if not a few years older.

[tysonpunchinguterus]

I'd do what the dentist says. Mine came in late and caused some problems. Plus, I had some decay because they were so far back. One of them broke in half 2 days before I had it pulled and I was only eating a salad at the time. I was lucky that it didn't spread to the teeth next to the wisdom teeth because then those would've had to come out, too. I had 3 pulled at once. I was supposed to have all 4 at once, but the 4th is still under the gum and the oral surgeon told me I could have permanent nerve damage in my jaw if I had it removed due to the location, so he said I should only have it removed if it causes problems.

Just because you can see the teeth coming in doesn't mean that they are coming in ok. 2 of mine came in relatively ok, but one of them was the one that started rotting. The 3rd that started coming in never came in all the way and was partially impacted.

If you want my advice, you can save a little money by not letting your daughter get nitrous oxide when the teeth are pulled. It's really not necessary at all. The novocaine they give you is stronger than normal novocaine and totally numbs your mouth. The surgeon pokes your gums with a metal pointer thingy to make sure you can't feel anything before he starts pulling teeth. It took less than 5 minutes to pull all 3 of my teeth, so it's not like she'll have to worry bout the novocaine wearing off.

[Fustercluck]

i had all 4 of mine removed under anesthesia 3 months ago, the total price for everything including the hospital room the surgeon and the anesthesiologist came to just over $2500. he did an amazing job, i probably could have gone into work later that day, i had a little swelling and some brusing. the worst part was i had a nose bleed from the tube they shoved up there to keep me sedated.

you should seek out a few other oral surgeons and get a second or third opinion

[DanaReevesLungs]

I had 2 of mine pulled when I was 19. The first came out with no problem. The 2nd caused him so many problems he had to put a "wedge" in between my teeth to break the root. This surgeon wasn't a small guy either. He had to have another doc come in and hold my head down. I didn't feel a fucking thing until the next day. The moment I woke up I was bent over in pain. The Vicodin, however, was soooooo nice.

[tattered]

im 25 and ive never had wisdom teeth....they arent on my Xrays

[CougarHunter]

I had mine out a couple years ago when I was 29. I had cavities in all 4 because they were so far back that they were difficult to brush and they were starting to give me pain.

The dentist gave me a couple of shots, one being way in the back and deep that lit me up and felt like electricity when it hit my nerve. Used a dental elevator that looked like a small screwdriver with a burr on one side and popped them out.

They were laying on the table,so I nabbed them on the way out and picked up a script for tylenol 3 that I only used 1 of.

Overall pretty easy.

[wetandstickyjim]

What's a Dentist?

[striker]

I just had one of my lower wisdom teeth yanked, it fucking hurt. My jaw is swollen, my jaw aches, my teeth ache, my gums ache. But, on the upside, I have Vicoden 7.5mg and 10.0 mg.

Seriously, mine were done through an oral surgeon, I had IV sedation, it was $289 for the tooth to have it yanked and another $390 for the sedation. My insurance paid 60% of the bill, leaving me with like $230. left.

Was it a good thing, yes, I had a massive caivty in the lower left and they could not do anything with it. THat is a risk she will be facing, also, since they took that lower left out, it has releaved some pressure on my other lower teeth. I had to have a crown put on one back in Feb. and since then it's been a bitch to floss and brush properly. I noticed that by Thursday morning, when I brushed and flossed that there is some relief in the other teeth. Also, she is young enough to where the space will fill back in fairly soon. I'm 40, and it could take upto 5 yrs for the space to fill in completly, can you say food pocket. I would let them sedate her fully, IV if she can take it. The numbed me to the point that it took 12 hrs for it to fully wear off, the IV was great, the Surgeon poked me with the needle, in 2 minutes I was out cold, I slept through the whole procedure and another 5 hrs afterwards, except that my wife had to wake me every 20 minutes to swap the bloody guaze for clean guaze.

[Got One?]

get better insurance. i didn't pay a dime other than the 250 copay. i would get them done, a lot of people i know didn't bother because it didn't seem to be a problem at the time, and every single one of them wound up in pain years later. one thing to keep in mind: the younger your daughter is, the hotter she is. wait no... the younger she is, the quicker she heals. the older people are the longer it takes to heal, plus some possible complications. do the IV drip to knock her the fuggout, she won't remember a thing and it won't cause any problems later.

did mine when i was 22, easiest couple paid days off of work i've ever had. and vicodin mmmmmmmmmmm

[WOWmagnet]

I think everyone is missing the big picture here concerning wisdom tooth extraction.

17, huh?

Pictures?

In NY, 17 is legal.

Oops! Ok back to teeth, or whatever :)

[DanainNM]

Request the x ray because if they are growing side ways they can cause a great deal of problems like will make the teeth move and if that happens you wasted all that money on the braces. Im getting my top ones removed this summer.

[oandapartycock]

I'd do what the dentist says. Mine came in late and caused some problems. Plus, I had some decay because they were so far back. One of them broke in half 2 days before I had it pulled and I was only eating a salad at the time. I was lucky that it didn't spread to the teeth next to the wisdom teeth because then those would've had to come out, too. I had 3 pulled at once. I was supposed to have all 4 at once, but the 4th is still under the gum and the oral surgeon told me I could have permanent nerve damage in my jaw if I had it removed due to the location, so he said I should only have it removed if it causes problems.



It sounds like you got an honest dentist by saying to leave it alone until it causes problems. I also like that because if you're having problems back there, then getting them pulled would seem like "relief."

im 25 and ive never had wisdom teeth....they arent on my Xrays

Excellent qualifications for a Wackbag mod! :action-sm

I had mine out a couple years ago when I was 29. I had cavities in all 4 because they were so far back that they were difficult to brush and they were starting to give me pain.

The dentist gave me a couple of shots, one being way in the back and deep that lit me up and felt like electricity when it hit my nerve. Used a dental elevator that looked like a small screwdriver with a burr on one side and popped them out.

They were laying on the table,so I nabbed them on the way out and picked up a script for tylenol 3 that I only used 1 of.

Overall pretty easy.

Did you make a matching earring and necklace set?

What's a Dentist?

Hack Joke Alert:
Are you originally from England?

get better insurance. i didn't pay a dime other than the 250 copay.

I'm waiting til November when Hillary or Obama's Universal Health Care Plan kicks in. :rolleyes:

Request the x ray because if they are growing side ways they can cause a great deal of problems like will make the teeth move and if that happens you wasted all that money on the braces. Im getting my top ones removed this summer.

That makes sense.

Update:
My wife went in for her checkup and cleaning yesterday. She practices good oral hygeeen, and had zero cavities. They did however try and give her this HUGE hard sell for about $1400 (our cost) worth of services. She said it was worse than a car dealer. She called me as soon as she got home and she sounded like a wreck.

They even had her speak to another rep who sounded like a "closer." When she said that she didn't have a credit card on her they conveniently produced a finance/credit app. They also told her that the previous work done a couple of years ago was "shoddy" and needed to be repaired. Classic hard-sell tactic.

They also said she needed a "deeper" and more "thorough" cleaning that I isn't covered under the normal insurance which doesn't make sense. She has no pain or sensitivity issues and she just had it done not too long ago, and they didn't even draw blood this time. I've got pretty good choppers but I always bleed during a cleaning.

,,,,aaand cue the bleach breath and perverted dentist jokes. :icon_mrgr

[oandapartycock]

Update to update:

She actually never even got the cleaning. I misunderstood when she said she didn't bleed from the cleaning. They were just poking around in there with their Marathon Man tools for so long it seemed like a cleaning.

They actually refused to do the cleaning unless she agrees to the estimate and pays half the "estimate." She has an appointment for May 10 to do the cleaning and is supposed to pay $700 at that time.

Every dental plan I've ever been on you only pay the copay for a cleaning. And I've never been to a dentist that refused to do a cleaning, even when I've had an infected tooth that ended up needing a root canal.

Here's the "estimate," maybe some dentist around here can explain this in plain English and see why she couldn't get a cleaning. They said it's because she has an infected tooth, but she has no symptoms.

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x265/scottcal92555/dentistm.jpg

[weeniewawa]

I had the two on one side pulled. The only reason I did was that one of them never developed correctly. It was hollow and basically was a food pocket linjjnckj londkjkdfj.

I never went back to get the others yanked as they have never bothered me at all. I am one who believes they usually want to pull all of them just to milk the insurance. They are like tonsils or the appendix, kind of useless but not worth removing unless they are problematic.